A family nursed a kitten back to health, and he turned out to be the cat they never knew they needed.
Jennifer, a volunteer of IndyHumane (an animal rescue in Indianapolis, Indiana), took in a feline family that needed help. “I wasn’t planning to take on another set of fosters for a couple of weeks, but fate had other plans,” Jennifer shared with us.
The cat family went through some rough times battling ailments. Sadly, three of the kittens lost their fight. Through intensive care, Momma Honey and her remaining three kittens, Benny, Bea and Bear, pulled through and started to thrive.
“My heart healed as they healed, and they grew into strong, happy, and healthy kittens, and started developing their own unique personalities.”
Bear was a cuddle bug, a people cat, from the start. As soon as he finished eating, he ran back to his foster mom, and decided to crash on her lap.
“When I tried to put him to bed so I could go to sleep, he looked at me with his big blue eyes and let out a solid 10-second meow to let me know he disapproved.”
During their stay in foster care, Jennifer noticed that Benny and Bea spent a lot of time together, while Bear played alone or tagged along with his foster mom, hogging her lap.
“He is a total snuggle-bug, always purring and making biscuits on his soft polar bear blanket that I bought for him.”
Jennifer wasn’t the only one from the family, who was smitten with Bear. Her resident cat Bodie the tabby decided to take the little guy under his wing.
“I would sometimes take the kittens out of the foster room to see Bodie. Benny and Bea wanted nothing to do with him, but Bear was different. He loved Bodie and let Bodie love on him,” Jennifer told us.
Bodie needed a young, energetic friend who wouldn’t run away from his sometimes forceful attention. Bear didn’t just accept it, but he reciprocated as well.
“I always say that Bodie picked Bear. They seemed to have an instant connection, and the more time I let them spend together, the more I knew he belonged with us.”
Bear was the happiest little kitten whenever he was with Jennifer and her family. He insisted on being in their presence and would scream for their attention. When it came time to find the kitties’ forever families, it was clear that Bear was already home.
“Bodie and Bear are like typical brothers. They love on each other, play with each other, and sometimes pick on each other,” Jennifer shared with us.
“Every night when I go to bed, Bear does too. Bodie shares his bedtime snack with him, and then he sleeps right next to me all night long.”
Jennifer had another beloved resident cat named Lacey who was 16 years old when she met Bear.
Watch Bear’s journey in this cute video:
The little youngster became the peacemaker for the two older resident cats. “Lacey wasn’t fond of Bodie. To my surprise, Bear seemed to understand Lacey right away.”
“Having Bear around gave Bodie another cat to focus his attention on, and he stopped picking on Lacey. Bear knew Bodie was there to play rough with, and that Lacey needed a different kind of attention,” Jennifer added.
It didn’t take long for Bear to grow on Lacey and started snuggling with her. Bear would plop down on top of her and purr up a storm.
“He somehow won her over, and before long, she actually accepted his attention and allowed him to snuggle with her. I never imagined something like that would ever happen.”
Over the next few months, Bear became Lacey’s sweetest cuddle buddy and the friend that she could lean on. Lacey found a lot of comfort in Bear as he reminded her of her brother, Nolan, of 13 years.
“Lacey passed away in December at 17 years old. I will forever be grateful to Bear for providing her such gentle, loving companionship and affection during her last year of life,” Jennifer told us.
“He really was the perfect addition to our family in so many ways.”
Bear is all grown up now and continues spreading his love to other cats.
He has found his calling to help kittens in need. Whenever Jennifer brings home new fosters, he patiently waits to meet them and is eager to give them a dose of his love.
Many foster kittens have found confidence and courage through him. Even the shyest kitty can’t resist his affection.
Jennifer brought Bear home that day just to foster, but the little guy ended up changing her life forever.
